Epiphone Newport shortscale

[John DaBass]

I need to confess that I have fallen deeply in love with this bass.
Back in the day I owned a 1964(3?) Epiphone Newport bass and I traded it for a 1969 Gibson slot head EB3 in walnut, which I still own.
Ever since Epiphone reissued the Embassy bass, I have waited patiently for the reissue of the Newport bass.
So as soon as they were available, I bought one from Guitarguitar.
Yes, it had a few QC issues but nothing that could not be sorted.
So I did the following: -
· Installed a Hipshot Supertone 2-point bridge.
· Adjusted the nut to my preferred height.
· Fitted a 1.5mm piece of hard card under the neck Pup to lower the Ceramic 8 magnets and reduce the string pull.
· Fitted a set of short scale D’Addario Chrome flat wounds.
· Replaced the Pickard with a superb Brian Pillans Blk/Wh/Blk
· Rewired the bridge Pup to switch the phase.
· Added a 0.2uF cap to the stock 0.2uF creating a 0.4uF
· Dunlop straplocks.

The Newport is now mine ALL mine!!
It plays superbly, lovely smooth neck with a great feel, it hugs my rounded beer belly, sits perfectly balanced ( for me) and sounds sublime if you are a Gibson/ Epiphone kinda guy. Deep warm lows, T’Bird highs and sparkle , and very typical EB3 tones in-between.
The pickguard was made by Brian Pillans of earlpilanz | eBay Stores
An absolute perfect fit and adds a bit of vintage vibe reminiscent of my ’69 EB3 and SG basses.
The Hipshot Supertone bridge is great, I have previously fitted a 3-point gold one to my Epiphone Rumbly Kat, so I knew what to expect BUT I did not expect the fixing bolts to have an Imperial thread. The 3-point bridge is shipped with both M8 Metric and SAE Imperial threads but since Hipshot’s target market for the 2-point bridge is old Epiphone and Gibson basses they only include the SAE fixing bolts. Marcus at Bass Direct sorted the problem and it now appears that in future Hipshot will be shipping both types on the 2-point Supertone bridges.
( got an email from Oscar Yuan at Hipshot confirming it).

Happy days

 

[covermego]

Worth a try, thank you!

I just had it in rehearsal the first time today, it plays very good, afer playing my Serek for 5 years in a row. Definitely worth putting some time and effort in it.

Of course, now I want another one. Gotta fight the urge, at least for a little while. I Have 8 bass projects to complete and get listed on Fleabay. Once I have room to freely move about the "Bass Room", I'll start my quest for another. Maybe the Red one this time? We'll see. I'm also fighting the urge to start collecting parts to upgrade one, lol. That's kind of like purchasing a radiator cap, then buying a car on which to install it.

 

[LowEndLobster]

I need to confess that I have fallen deeply in love with this bass.
Back in the day I owned a 1964(3?) Epiphone Newport bass and I traded it for a 1969 Gibson slot head EB3 in walnut, which I still own.
Ever since Epiphone reissued the Embassy bass, I have waited patiently for the reissue of the Newport bass.
So as soon as they were available, I bought one from Guitarguitar.
Yes, it had a few QC issues but nothing that could not be sorted.
So I did the following: -
· Installed a Hipshot Supertone 2-point bridge.
· Adjusted the nut to my preferred height.
· Fitted a 1.5mm piece of hard card under the neck Pup to lower the Ceramic 8 magnets and reduce the string pull.
· Fitted a set of short scale D’Addario Chrome flat wounds.
· Replaced the Pickard with a superb Brian Pillans Blk/Wh/Blk
· Rewired the bridge Pup to switch the phase.
· Added a 0.2uF cap to the stock 0.2uF creating a 0.4uF
· Dunlop straplocks.
View attachment 4986496
The Newport is now mine ALL mine!!
It plays superbly, lovely smooth neck with a great feel, it hugs my rounded beer belly, sits perfectly balanced ( for me) and sounds sublime if you are a Gibson/ Epiphone kinda guy. Deep warm lows, T’Bird highs and sparkle , and very typical EB3 tones in-between.
The pickguard was made by Brian Pillans of earlpilanz | eBay Stores
An absolute perfect fit and adds a bit of vintage vibe reminiscent of my ’69 EB3 and SG basses.
The Hipshot Supertone bridge is great, I have previously fitted a 3-point gold one to my Epiphone Rumbly Kat, so I knew what to expect BUT I did not expect the fixing bolts to have an Imperial thread. The 3-point bridge is shipped with both M8 Metric and SAE Imperial threads but since Hipshot’s target market for the 2-point bridge is old Epiphone and Gibson basses they only include the SAE fixing bolts. Marcus at Bass Direct sorted the problem and it now appears that in future Hipshot will be shipping both types on the 2-point Supertone bridges.
( got an email from Oscar Yuan at Hipshot confirming it).

Happy days

Great mods! I emailed hipshot as well about the included screws. I had to steal a pair from a 3 point bridge I had laying around LOL. They sent over a replacement set without any issues though. Glad that they'll be including the appropriate screws for the 2 point now.

 

[Pyrat]

I need to confess that I have fallen deeply in love with this bass.
Back in the day I owned a 1964(3?) Epiphone Newport bass and I traded it for a 1969 Gibson slot head EB3 in walnut, which I still own.
Ever since Epiphone reissued the Embassy bass, I have waited patiently for the reissue of the Newport bass.
So as soon as they were available, I bought one from Guitarguitar.
Yes, it had a few QC issues but nothing that could not be sorted.
So I did the following: -
· Installed a Hipshot Supertone 2-point bridge.
· Adjusted the nut to my preferred height.
· Fitted a 1.5mm piece of hard card under the neck Pup to lower the Ceramic 8 magnets and reduce the string pull.
· Fitted a set of short scale D’Addario Chrome flat wounds.
· Replaced the Pickard with a superb Brian Pillans Blk/Wh/Blk
· Rewired the bridge Pup to switch the phase.
· Added a 0.2uF cap to the stock 0.2uF creating a 0.4uF
· Dunlop straplocks.
View attachment 4986496
The Newport is now mine ALL mine!!
It plays superbly, lovely smooth neck with a great feel, it hugs my rounded beer belly, sits perfectly balanced ( for me) and sounds sublime if you are a Gibson/ Epiphone kinda guy. Deep warm lows, T’Bird highs and sparkle , and very typical EB3 tones in-between.
The pickguard was made by Brian Pillans of earlpilanz | eBay Stores
An absolute perfect fit and adds a bit of vintage vibe reminiscent of my ’69 EB3 and SG basses.
The Hipshot Supertone bridge is great, I have previously fitted a 3-point gold one to my Epiphone Rumbly Kat, so I knew what to expect BUT I did not expect the fixing bolts to have an Imperial thread. The 3-point bridge is shipped with both M8 Metric and SAE Imperial threads but since Hipshot’s target market for the 2-point bridge is old Epiphone and Gibson basses they only include the SAE fixing bolts. Marcus at Bass Direct sorted the problem and it now appears that in future Hipshot will be shipping both types on the 2-point Supertone bridges.
( got an email from Oscar Yuan at Hipshot confirming it).

Happy days

Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one! The one I received had minimal set-up issues (like ANY bass) and I absolutely love the sounds I get from it. Not only does it look unbelievably cool, it plays like a dream FOR ME. Love what you've done to yours, mine is stock except for the LaBella DTFs...cheers~

 

[JaMo111]

Thanks for all the info - Based on what I've read here, I adjusted the neck pickup down by trimming the foam and adding some under the chrome, and rewired the bridge pickup. Also put Rotosound flats on it. Puzzled by the nut height compared to EB. EB tolerates lower action. Newport is still a little buzzy. Blend control is a good idea poorly executed. I may try a different pot there before I give up and go with VVT. Do not love it yet. EB took a while, too.

 

[YRPALJG]

My neck pickup Ceramic 8 to Alnico 5 magnet swap combined with high quality 500k V/V/T wiring did the trick for me and resolved the excessive string-pull/fret rattle as well as some intonation issues I was having at the start. It sounds much better too! I suspect that the bridge pickup is a Ceramic 8 magnet as well because at that price-point, it makes sense that they'd go with the least expensive option.

I'm sitting on about 200 proper Alnico 5 TBird magnets and if the bridge pickup bobbins are authentic TB types, that's an easy swap and will be one more step towards best sound and operation. I'm also planning on a few retrofit replacement options for the neck pickup and will be gig-testing those in the coming weeks. I'll be out with one of my bands this weekend for travel shows and can't wait to dig in and gig it!

 

[covermego]

My neck pickup Ceramic 8 to Alnico 5 magnet swap combined with high quality 500k V/V/T wiring did the trick for me and resolved the excessive string-pull/fret rattle as well as some intonation issues I was having at the start. It sounds much better too! I suspect that the bridge pickup is a Ceramic 8 magnet as well because at that price-point, it makes sense that they'd go with the least expensive option.

I'm sitting on about 200 proper Alnico 5 TBird magnets and if the bridge pickup bobbins are authentic TB types, that's an easy swap and will be one more step towards best sound and operation. I'm also planning on a few retrofit replacement options for the neck pickup and will be gig-testing those in the coming weeks. I'll be out with one of my bands this weekend for travel shows and can't wait to dig in and gig it!

Good info on the magnets! Thank You.
Also, a gig report after this weekend would be mighty nice....... don't you think?

 

[Drucocu]

I'm officially done with the neck pickup,just doesn't work for me, and don't have a source and knowledge about magnets.
I ordered a Guild Bisonic pickup, and a 3-way switch. Will report back.

 

[vates]

I'm officially done with the neck pickup,just doesn't work for me, and don't have a source and knowledge about magnets.
I ordered a Guild Bisonic pickup, and a 3-way switch. Will report back.

Looking forward to your mod.

 

[bradd]

I've gigged one of mine with great success, other than the E saddle of the Hipshot bridge popping off mid song. I need to get longer set screws in order to intonate properly. The neck pickup is set about 3mm under the cover, which is too low, but it matched the bridge pickup well enough when blended. Until I replace the blend knob, I set it slightly favoring the bridge depending on the song. TI flats are very good on these basses.
The neck pickup will be replaced with a Novak custom Bisonic when I find the time.

 

[Drucocu]

Pretty straightforward work, the Bisonic just did not fit, but 2 minutes with the Dremel on each side were enough to put it in, 3 way switch rather the stupid blend. Had to change the wires on the TB Pickup back, as it was out of phase with the bisonic. Other than that pretty happy!

 

[Pyrat]

Pretty straightforward work, the Bisonic just did not fit, but 2 minutes with the Dremel on each side were enough to put it in, 3 way switch rather the stupid blend. Had to change the wires on the TB Pickup back, as it was out of phase with the bisonic. Other than that pretty happy!

View attachment 4994150

We'd LOVE to hear it!

 

[vates]

Pretty straightforward work, the Bisonic just did not fit, but 2 minutes with the Dremel on each side were enough to put it in, 3 way switch rather the stupid blend. Had to change the wires on the TB Pickup back, as it was out of phase with the bisonic. Other than that pretty happy!

View attachment 4994150

Looks fabulous!

 

[Drucocu]

Okay, okay... Here we go, please use headphones.

Rafi Kirder on Instagram: "The Epiphone Newport is a stunning bass, feels like home. Sadly they saved a few bucks on the pickups. I like the TB bridge Pickup, but the Mudbucker had to go. The magnetic pull was so strong, I had rattles all over. Anyway: modded it today with a Guild Bisonic neck pickup and a 3-way switch, instead of the clunky blend knob. Not everything perfect, but were getting there, the action is still too high for my liking, but it will need a fret job, to get the action as low as I like it. Maybe some Hipshot Ultralite tuners along the way, we'll see. #epiphone #epiphonebass #epiphonenewport #epiphonenewportbass #bassist #bassplayer #musician #love #hate #deathrope"

 

[vates]

Sounds great! What string do you use?

 

[Drucocu]

DR Hi Beams, same as Serek uses on their Basses.

Sounds great! What string do you use?

 

[vates]

My favorite roundwounds

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Okay, okay... Here we go, please use headphones.

Rafi Kirder on Instagram: "The Epiphone Newport is a stunning bass, feels like home. Sadly they saved a few bucks on the pickups. I like the TB bridge Pickup, but the Mudbucker had to go. The magnetic pull was so strong, I had rattles all over. Anyway: modded it today with a Guild Bisonic neck pickup and a 3-way switch, instead of the clunky blend knob. Not everything perfect, but were getting there, the action is still too high for my liking, but it will need a fret job, to get the action as low as I like it. Maybe some Hipshot Ultralite tuners along the way, we'll see. #epiphone #epiphonebass #epiphonenewport #epiphonenewportbass #bassist #bassplayer #musician #love #hate #deathrope"

My neck pickup Ceramic 8 to Alnico 5 magnet swap combined with high quality 500k V/V/T wiring did the trick for me and resolved the excessive string-pull/fret rattle as well as some intonation issues I was having at the start. It sounds much better too! I suspect that the bridge pickup is a Ceramic 8 magnet as well because at that price-point, it makes sense that they'd go with the least expensive option.

I'm sitting on about 200 proper Alnico 5 TBird magnets and if the bridge pickup bobbins are authentic TB types, that's an easy swap and will be one more step towards best sound and operation. I'm also planning on a few retrofit replacement options for the neck pickup and will be gig-testing those in the coming weeks. I'll be out with one of my bands this weekend for travel shows and can't wait to dig in and gig it!

Real 60s 'mudbuckers' were bound to vary a bit in alnico magnet strength but a ceramic 8 at the neck PU on these new ones seems overkill....you could even try A2, A3 or A4 but an A5 can vary a lot in strength and still have too much bass if fully charged but hey magnets are easy to degauss....lots of folks like weaker alnico magnets in guitars.

Not getting the ceramic magnet choice at the neck PU....

 

[godofthunder59]

Like many I have not been satisfied with the wiring of this bass, the pickups do seem out of phase and I don't like how the blend control functions so today I wired it V/V/T and put a sprauge Orange drop in it. The bass definitely opened up and sound much better! I am still digging the sidewinder/Thunderbird pickup combination. Video when I get a chance.

 

[vates]

Like many I have not been satisfied with the wiring of this bass, the pickups do seem out of phase and I don't like how the blend control functions so today I wired it V/V/T and put a sprauge Orange drop in it. The bass definitely opened up and sound much better! I am still digging the sidewinder/Thunderbird pickup combination. Video when I get a chance.

What are the values of the pots and a cap?